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Saint View Psychos #1
Start a War
“Do you want some Goldfish crackers, Bliss?”
Those were the last words my brother said to me before he was shot execution style. A childhood code only he and I knew, and one that had a single, clear meaning behind it.
Run.
I’m not going anywhere. Not when his murderer is still out there.
To catch a killer, I put aside my life of money and luxury and take over the running of Psychos, a dive bar in the seedy underbelly of Saint View.
But Psychos delivers more than I ever could have bargained for and three men I never saw coming.
Nash, my brother’s best friend. Older and more experienced, he still remembers me as the neglected child he once saved.
War, heir to a biker gang throne and searching for the man who left his mother in a coma. Bonded over a common goal, he introduces me to a world of after-hours clubs, danger, and violence.
And Vincent, the quiet new guy nobody seems to see except me. He’s sweet and quirky, but there’s a darkness in him just waiting to be unleashed.
With every lie we uncover, every secret we expose, the danger mounts.
Until there’s only one thing we know for sure.
The killer is still out there.
And we’re his next targets.
Start a War is an adult, #whychoose romance, meaning the main character has more than one love interest. This book contains enemies-to-lovers and romantic suspense / dark themes that may trigger some readers. It is the first book in an ongoing trilogy.
Those were the last words my brother said to me before he was shot execution style. A childhood code only he and I knew, and one that had a single, clear meaning behind it.
Run.
I’m not going anywhere. Not when his murderer is still out there.
To catch a killer, I put aside my life of money and luxury and take over the running of Psychos, a dive bar in the seedy underbelly of Saint View.
But Psychos delivers more than I ever could have bargained for and three men I never saw coming.
Nash, my brother’s best friend. Older and more experienced, he still remembers me as the neglected child he once saved.
War, heir to a biker gang throne and searching for the man who left his mother in a coma. Bonded over a common goal, he introduces me to a world of after-hours clubs, danger, and violence.
And Vincent, the quiet new guy nobody seems to see except me. He’s sweet and quirky, but there’s a darkness in him just waiting to be unleashed.
With every lie we uncover, every secret we expose, the danger mounts.
Until there’s only one thing we know for sure.
The killer is still out there.
And we’re his next targets.
Start a War is an adult, #whychoose romance, meaning the main character has more than one love interest. This book contains enemies-to-lovers and romantic suspense / dark themes that may trigger some readers. It is the first book in an ongoing trilogy.
362 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2022
10337 people are currently reading
27748 people want to read
About the author
Elle Thorpe
57 books4,650 followersUSA Today Bestselling author Elle Thorpe is the author of over thirty romance titles, including Amazon top ten books, Start a War and Locked Up Liars. She is best known for her dark reverse harems, and sexy small town romances.
When she's not writing, she's probably out on her family's alpaca farm in rural Australia.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ellethorpebooks
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When she's not writing, she's probably out on her family's alpaca farm in rural Australia.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ellethorpebooks
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ellethorpebooks
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,699 reviews
September 24, 2022
So fun to be back in the Saint View world! And I'm SO glad Vincent gets his romance – he's a total sweetheart (who just happens to have a psychotic killer as his other personality lol). Start a War was a great start to this new series and I'm really enjoying Bliss and her 3 guys! There's Vincent/Scythe, Nash (her brother's best friend), and War (a biker heir)!
*******
MY PSYCHO VINCENT???? OMG.
*******
MY PSYCHO VINCENT???? OMG.
June 30, 2022
OH MY F..... GOD!!!!! This book just out of this world good.
These men like holly smokes they def leave you with a clit boner and all sort of wetness 😂😂
Elle knows how to have you wanting more and sending you on a high rollercoaster with want. The drama, the sexiness and all alpha.
Vincent wow what can i even say hes just a breath of fresh air. Yes i might be a bit psychotic loving Vincent aka Scythe but i dont care hes sooo good even with his weirdness and possessiveness towards the people he loves. Trying to keep Scythe at bay and under controll is what makes this book for me.
Nash oh well hes just a swoony moody alpha that has you all hot and bothered. He is so protective of Bliss and that makes her so hot for him.
War well hes just my type of man i love me a hot alpha Biker that goes after what he wants and gets it!!
Bliss and her fiery ways is going to have these men fall to there knees with want and she is gonna make them know shes in charge
This series is gonna have you going crazy with want and the twists are gonna have you on your toes!!!
These men like holly smokes they def leave you with a clit boner and all sort of wetness 😂😂
Elle knows how to have you wanting more and sending you on a high rollercoaster with want. The drama, the sexiness and all alpha.
Vincent wow what can i even say hes just a breath of fresh air. Yes i might be a bit psychotic loving Vincent aka Scythe but i dont care hes sooo good even with his weirdness and possessiveness towards the people he loves. Trying to keep Scythe at bay and under controll is what makes this book for me.
Nash oh well hes just a swoony moody alpha that has you all hot and bothered. He is so protective of Bliss and that makes her so hot for him.
War well hes just my type of man i love me a hot alpha Biker that goes after what he wants and gets it!!
Bliss and her fiery ways is going to have these men fall to there knees with want and she is gonna make them know shes in charge
This series is gonna have you going crazy with want and the twists are gonna have you on your toes!!!
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April 17, 2025
Start a War is book one in the Saint View Psychos series by Elle Thorpe. This is the second trilogy I’ve read now so I’m familiar with how this all works. I knew there was going to be a cliff hanger but am ready to jump right into the next book so it’s not a problem. Before I start, I have to mention the amazing dedication. It was awesome. You’ll just have to read it for yourselves to see!
Our heroine is twenty five year old Bethany-Melissa “Bliss” Arthur. We first meet Bliss in the prologue when she is only five. It is heartbreaking. Then we skip to her adult self in chapter one. At first I was a little disappointed in the woman Bliss had become. She has allowed herself to believe that she is only worthy of whatever her lowlife boyfriend is willing to give, which isn’t anything at all. That this is the only life she is entitled to, that she should be grateful. When Bliss receives a phone call from her brother telling her to run, that danger is on it’s way, her life is suddenly turned upside down.
Nash Sorensen is thirty nine years old. Nash was Bliss’s brother’s best friend since they were young children. Nash is the manager of what was Bliss’s brother’s bar, Psychos, but now belongs to Bliss. Being fifteen years older than Bliss and also, she is the little sister of his now deceased best friend, he is held to the honor code to not touch her. But you can see he is fighting with this from the start.
Warrick “War” Maynard is the president of the Saint View Slayers MC. War is dealing with his own loss. And is desperately searching for who is responsible. As soon as he meets Bliss, it’s obvious the chemistry between these two is crazy strong. I think these two need each other the most so far. And I feel their connection the strongest. And we’ll just say that War is introducing Bliss to all kinds of new things.
Then there is our Vincent Atwood. I’m not sure of his age but am thinking it’s in his later twenties somewhere. If you read the previous trilogy, Saint View Prison, then you met Vincent. He was the reason I needed to read this trilogy sooner rather than later. I had to see how he was going to fit into things. His parents are manipulative and terrible. Vincent seems to feel things so strongly. And he is definitely feeling it for Bliss. But there is a whole other side to Vincent, one we saw briefly in the last trilogy. And of course, our wonderful author saved that for the very end of the book. So, off I go to start book two, Half The Battle. I’ll see you on the other side!
For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...
Our heroine is twenty five year old Bethany-Melissa “Bliss” Arthur. We first meet Bliss in the prologue when she is only five. It is heartbreaking. Then we skip to her adult self in chapter one. At first I was a little disappointed in the woman Bliss had become. She has allowed herself to believe that she is only worthy of whatever her lowlife boyfriend is willing to give, which isn’t anything at all. That this is the only life she is entitled to, that she should be grateful. When Bliss receives a phone call from her brother telling her to run, that danger is on it’s way, her life is suddenly turned upside down.
Nash Sorensen is thirty nine years old. Nash was Bliss’s brother’s best friend since they were young children. Nash is the manager of what was Bliss’s brother’s bar, Psychos, but now belongs to Bliss. Being fifteen years older than Bliss and also, she is the little sister of his now deceased best friend, he is held to the honor code to not touch her. But you can see he is fighting with this from the start.
Warrick “War” Maynard is the president of the Saint View Slayers MC. War is dealing with his own loss. And is desperately searching for who is responsible. As soon as he meets Bliss, it’s obvious the chemistry between these two is crazy strong. I think these two need each other the most so far. And I feel their connection the strongest. And we’ll just say that War is introducing Bliss to all kinds of new things.
Then there is our Vincent Atwood. I’m not sure of his age but am thinking it’s in his later twenties somewhere. If you read the previous trilogy, Saint View Prison, then you met Vincent. He was the reason I needed to read this trilogy sooner rather than later. I had to see how he was going to fit into things. His parents are manipulative and terrible. Vincent seems to feel things so strongly. And he is definitely feeling it for Bliss. But there is a whole other side to Vincent, one we saw briefly in the last trilogy. And of course, our wonderful author saved that for the very end of the book. So, off I go to start book two, Half The Battle. I’ll see you on the other side!
For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...
March 31, 2024
Any man who says the line “Whoever did that to your face doesn’t deserve to breathe” instantly has my vote. It’s more poetic than ‘Who did this to you’, as this man isn't asking you a question, he's making you a promise and plotting murder. To me, that is so romantic 🫠😅
Also, if he later goes on to say to your abuser that he will rip his intestines out and feed it to his (rescue) dog, the man is also a keeper. I mean he rescues dogs for god sake... and graphically threatens people, but it's the thought that counts.
In my twisted mind, this is justified violence, so I feel okay about saying it 😅
This was a ‘two-worlds collide’ kind of story, despite the fact the FMC spent the first 5 years of her life living in poverty. The plot began 20 years on from her childhood and her life was very different, due to her well-to-do father. A series of events occurred and she ventured back to her old life, old town and old acquaintances.
I don't want to call the FMC naive, because she was exposed to many harsh realities at a very young age, but she hasn't lived that way in a long time. At the beginning of the book, she lived in a privileged world and so was unfamiliar with the lifestyles, everyday issues and realities of people without a high income. She was a bit of a princess at points, but I liked how compassionate she was and how she prioritized others' comfort.
This was a RH, so we got multiple male leads :
✨Nash - Alpha male/ Protector. Constantly fighting their attraction because he was her brother's best friend thing.
✨War - A welcome surprise. VP of an MC club. Broody. Easy-going. Very affectionate.
✨Vincent - Subdued personality. Psycho Assasin. Great with kids. Suffered from a personality disorder, as well as autism. This wasn’t explicitly mentioned, but it aligned with the traits familiar with it. I could be wrong though.
His personality traits added to his character and the FMC loved his transparency, honesty, bluntness and perspective of the world.
She received very different things from each relationship, despite the fact her relationship with Nash is presently pretty platonic.
Emotionally I was pretty spent by the first 10% of this book. There was a lot more childhood trauma and present-day trauma than I was expecting, but it was a great addition to the plot. I mean the flashback scene 🥲 The blurb was quite telling as to what’s to come, but in addition to that it also includes SA, R*pe, DA, attempted SA, mentions of prostitution, drug use, murder and grief.
The DA & SA was definitely hard to read, but it was interesting to see how she acted in the aftermath. She had been conditioned to always blame herself for her abuser's actions. Saying things like this wouldn't have happened if she was nicer, prettier, skinnier and that she was ultimately so lucky to have him love someone like her. As the story progressed it was great to see her mindset change, her self-confidence flourish and for her to realise this tw*t of a man never deserved to be in her presence.
Great read and I can't wait to see what's to come after that cliffhanger.…
Also, if he later goes on to say to your abuser that he will rip his intestines out and feed it to his (rescue) dog, the man is also a keeper. I mean he rescues dogs for god sake... and graphically threatens people, but it's the thought that counts.
In my twisted mind, this is justified violence, so I feel okay about saying it 😅
This was a ‘two-worlds collide’ kind of story, despite the fact the FMC spent the first 5 years of her life living in poverty. The plot began 20 years on from her childhood and her life was very different, due to her well-to-do father. A series of events occurred and she ventured back to her old life, old town and old acquaintances.
I don't want to call the FMC naive, because she was exposed to many harsh realities at a very young age, but she hasn't lived that way in a long time. At the beginning of the book, she lived in a privileged world and so was unfamiliar with the lifestyles, everyday issues and realities of people without a high income. She was a bit of a princess at points, but I liked how compassionate she was and how she prioritized others' comfort.
This was a RH, so we got multiple male leads :
✨Nash - Alpha male/ Protector. Constantly fighting their attraction because he was her brother's best friend thing.
✨War - A welcome surprise. VP of an MC club. Broody. Easy-going. Very affectionate.
✨Vincent - Subdued personality. Psycho Assasin. Great with kids. Suffered from a personality disorder, as well as autism. This wasn’t explicitly mentioned, but it aligned with the traits familiar with it. I could be wrong though.
His personality traits added to his character and the FMC loved his transparency, honesty, bluntness and perspective of the world.
She received very different things from each relationship, despite the fact her relationship with Nash is presently pretty platonic.
Emotionally I was pretty spent by the first 10% of this book. There was a lot more childhood trauma and present-day trauma than I was expecting, but it was a great addition to the plot. I mean the flashback scene 🥲 The blurb was quite telling as to what’s to come, but in addition to that it also includes SA, R*pe, DA, attempted SA, mentions of prostitution, drug use, murder and grief.
The DA & SA was definitely hard to read, but it was interesting to see how she acted in the aftermath. She had been conditioned to always blame herself for her abuser's actions. Saying things like this wouldn't have happened if she was nicer, prettier, skinnier and that she was ultimately so lucky to have him love someone like her. As the story progressed it was great to see her mindset change, her self-confidence flourish and for her to realise this tw*t of a man never deserved to be in her presence.
Great read and I can't wait to see what's to come after that cliffhanger.…
January 5, 2024
Strange characters but good story!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙❤️💜💚💖
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌏🌍
Character development: 😊😘😟😄🥰
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Duet Narration
The heroine: Bethany Melissa (a.k.a. Bliss) - she grew up poor and hungry in a dingy trailer park with a neglectful mother and abusive stepfather. She loved her older brother Axel though. Axel and Bliss had a code phrase they said to each other when they needed to get away. Whenever he asked her if she wanted some Goldfish crackers (her favorite snack), it meant it was time to run. Axel and his friend Nash got her rich dad to take her and got her away from that life.
The Heroes: Nash, War & Vincent - the new men in Bethany’s life.
Nash - Axel’s best friend. He is the manager of Saint View Psychos, a bar in the ghetto. He had always been protective of Bliss.
War - he was the vice president of the Saint View Slayers motorcycle club. He is the son of the president of the club.
Vincent - he gets a job at the daycare center where Bliss works. He is a quiet man and an assassin who escaped from a psyche ward, he has a condition that affects his memory, it could be dissociative identity disorder.
The Story: Bliss spent the first part of her life in that old trailer park, but once she went to live with her dad, she lived in a world of wealth and privilege after her father helped to cover up her past. She knew that she would someday marry her boyfriend, Caleb. She was looking forward to being engaged to him. When her brother called her while she was at a charity auction, she was surprised, since she rarely heard from him. He asked her if she wanted some Goldfish crackers, before she heard a gunshot over the phone.
Axel had owned a bar in Saint View called Saint View Psychos, it was a dive bar and Saint View was a slum, though it was the only place Bliss knew she could find her brother. She goes to the bar to find her brother and finds his best friend Nash who, like her brother was fifteen years her senior and was much changed from what she remembered. The next day she meets Vincent who immediately becomes a bit obsessed with Bethany’s life, especially after seeing the bruise on her face which her boyfriend put there. She meets War not long after that.
I was less than impressed with the writing on this one, it seemed like the thoughts of both Bliss and Nash were a parody of reality. Both Bliss in her wealthy life and Nash in the gritty crime ridden Saint View seemed a bit too much like people acting wealthy or acting tough and overacting at that. About a half hour into the book, I wondered if I could listen to the whole thing and the rest of the trilogy. Though I did get more involved in the story as it went on and the character of Vincent was intriguing to me so I decided to see this through.
I hate it when the heroine has too many ‘curves’ and talks about it too much or with too much definition. When this one talked about her rolls on her tummy, wide hips and chubby thighs and how her ball gown accentuated her curves, I just didn’t like it. She later talked about the stretch marks on her boob and the cellulite on her thighs. Who wants that picture in their head? Why do some authors have to put so much emphasis on the heroine’scurves fat. I say just don’t mention it.
This audiobook was done in multiple points of view via duet narration. It was narrated by Michelle Price and Gregory Salinas. Michelle wasn’t my favorite narrator; her voice wasn’t very clear, and it sounded like she had a bit of a lisp. Gregory Salinas has a good voice and does a great job. He is good at doing different voices for different characters.
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙❤️💜💚💖
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌏🌍
Character development: 😊😘😟😄🥰
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Duet Narration
The heroine: Bethany Melissa (a.k.a. Bliss) - she grew up poor and hungry in a dingy trailer park with a neglectful mother and abusive stepfather. She loved her older brother Axel though. Axel and Bliss had a code phrase they said to each other when they needed to get away. Whenever he asked her if she wanted some Goldfish crackers (her favorite snack), it meant it was time to run. Axel and his friend Nash got her rich dad to take her and got her away from that life.
The Heroes: Nash, War & Vincent - the new men in Bethany’s life.
Nash - Axel’s best friend. He is the manager of Saint View Psychos, a bar in the ghetto. He had always been protective of Bliss.
War - he was the vice president of the Saint View Slayers motorcycle club. He is the son of the president of the club.
Vincent - he gets a job at the daycare center where Bliss works. He is a quiet man and an assassin who escaped from a psyche ward, he has a condition that affects his memory, it could be dissociative identity disorder.
The Story: Bliss spent the first part of her life in that old trailer park, but once she went to live with her dad, she lived in a world of wealth and privilege after her father helped to cover up her past. She knew that she would someday marry her boyfriend, Caleb. She was looking forward to being engaged to him. When her brother called her while she was at a charity auction, she was surprised, since she rarely heard from him. He asked her if she wanted some Goldfish crackers, before she heard a gunshot over the phone.
Axel had owned a bar in Saint View called Saint View Psychos, it was a dive bar and Saint View was a slum, though it was the only place Bliss knew she could find her brother. She goes to the bar to find her brother and finds his best friend Nash who, like her brother was fifteen years her senior and was much changed from what she remembered. The next day she meets Vincent who immediately becomes a bit obsessed with Bethany’s life, especially after seeing the bruise on her face which her boyfriend put there. She meets War not long after that.
I was less than impressed with the writing on this one, it seemed like the thoughts of both Bliss and Nash were a parody of reality. Both Bliss in her wealthy life and Nash in the gritty crime ridden Saint View seemed a bit too much like people acting wealthy or acting tough and overacting at that. About a half hour into the book, I wondered if I could listen to the whole thing and the rest of the trilogy. Though I did get more involved in the story as it went on and the character of Vincent was intriguing to me so I decided to see this through.
I hate it when the heroine has too many ‘curves’ and talks about it too much or with too much definition. When this one talked about her rolls on her tummy, wide hips and chubby thighs and how her ball gown accentuated her curves, I just didn’t like it. She later talked about the stretch marks on her boob and the cellulite on her thighs. Who wants that picture in their head? Why do some authors have to put so much emphasis on the heroine’s
This audiobook was done in multiple points of view via duet narration. It was narrated by Michelle Price and Gregory Salinas. Michelle wasn’t my favorite narrator; her voice wasn’t very clear, and it sounded like she had a bit of a lisp. Gregory Salinas has a good voice and does a great job. He is good at doing different voices for different characters.
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March 26, 2023
I didn't fall in love with the couplings or the less dramatic plot points around it. I don't like listening or reading about rape scenes in my romance books (or in any to be honest). Was a lot of abuse and overall this one didn't Win me over. This mentions a character having DID, and while I don't know enough about the disorder it felt more of a paranormal possession rather than a mental disorder. But like I've said before I don't know enough to make a good opinion on it.
October 2, 2022
This is only okay. Fairly unrealistic depiction of DID (dissociative identity disorder). It was all just a little too easy how Bliss changed from one culture to the next. It was all kinda meh.
There is a promotion team for this author that is less than honest about their work. A TikTok account came across my FYP and I liked the blurbs about this series. It took me a few days to realize the account *only* promotes this author. They did not mark their account as such. They only acknowledged being part of the publicity team when confronted. On the one hand, the author might not know about that duplicity. On the other hand, she might.
There is a promotion team for this author that is less than honest about their work. A TikTok account came across my FYP and I liked the blurbs about this series. It took me a few days to realize the account *only* promotes this author. They did not mark their account as such. They only acknowledged being part of the publicity team when confronted. On the one hand, the author might not know about that duplicity. On the other hand, she might.
November 15, 2022
I'm just giving 5 stars for my sweetie Vincent. I've never been so smitten 🥺 he melts my heart.
This is sooo good! I'm so lucky I stumbled across it. Elle Thorpe's writing is top notch. The entire story kept a steady pace, it was interesting and exciting. Our FMC is a plus size girl (yay yay yay). I cannot stress enough how refreshing it was to have an FMC who isn't skinny, who isn't full of bravado, aggression and swear words. Nor was she so sheltered that she was stupid. She had the right mix of backbone and naivety to make a very compelling lead.
In all honesty, this didn't need to be a reverse harem. I would've happily read a love story between Bliss and Vincent; that's not saying anything against Nash and War (they were very likeable), but I just want to bottle up Vincent (and Little Dog) for myself. Loved this one!
This is sooo good! I'm so lucky I stumbled across it. Elle Thorpe's writing is top notch. The entire story kept a steady pace, it was interesting and exciting. Our FMC is a plus size girl (yay yay yay). I cannot stress enough how refreshing it was to have an FMC who isn't skinny, who isn't full of bravado, aggression and swear words. Nor was she so sheltered that she was stupid. She had the right mix of backbone and naivety to make a very compelling lead.
In all honesty, this didn't need to be a reverse harem. I would've happily read a love story between Bliss and Vincent; that's not saying anything against Nash and War (they were very likeable), but I just want to bottle up Vincent (and Little Dog) for myself. Loved this one!
December 27, 2023
4.75
5/5 audio
Loved it. This left off on a cliffhanger, so I definitely have to read book 2 because I need to know what happens. Oh, I would’ve been so pissed if I didn’t have access to the second book and I had to wait. Lol anyways I didn’t know this was RH and I’m really excited because I love them all.
•plus sized mc
•i didnt look forward to see but i heard its mmf later
5/5 audio
Loved it. This left off on a cliffhanger, so I definitely have to read book 2 because I need to know what happens. Oh, I would’ve been so pissed if I didn’t have access to the second book and I had to wait. Lol anyways I didn’t know this was RH and I’m really excited because I love them all.
•plus sized mc
•i didnt look forward to see but i heard its mmf later
March 22, 2024
Can I tell you I flew to buy the next 2 books . Omg that cliffhanger was brutal.... It's had it draw out parts, but i flew through it .
August 5, 2022
5/5 ⭐️
pretty sure elle thorpe cannot write a bad book. i loved the locked up lairs series and i LOVED this book. this is the start of another trilogy and i am so freaking excited. this is a RH book (my literal weakness) that brings back vincent from the locked up liars trilogy. i loved the drama, characters and the spice (🤌🏻🤌🏻). nash really gives us the brother’s best friend trope with alpha vibes and i love how possessive he is of bliss. vincent is so awkward and possessive of those he loves and i love how we get to see scythe in bits and pieces of this story. war is definitely my weakness. give me a biker that’s all alpha male and knows exactly what he wants and what to say *swoon*. like elle’s other books, this book has top notch smut and lots of drama, but i loved it!
“his fingers squeezed around mine gently, and he pulled me in a step, so we were all up in each other’s space. with his mouth at my ear, he whispered so softly I’d later think i imagined it. “whoever did that to your face doesn’t deserve to breathe.””
pretty sure elle thorpe cannot write a bad book. i loved the locked up lairs series and i LOVED this book. this is the start of another trilogy and i am so freaking excited. this is a RH book (my literal weakness) that brings back vincent from the locked up liars trilogy. i loved the drama, characters and the spice (🤌🏻🤌🏻). nash really gives us the brother’s best friend trope with alpha vibes and i love how possessive he is of bliss. vincent is so awkward and possessive of those he loves and i love how we get to see scythe in bits and pieces of this story. war is definitely my weakness. give me a biker that’s all alpha male and knows exactly what he wants and what to say *swoon*. like elle’s other books, this book has top notch smut and lots of drama, but i loved it!
“his fingers squeezed around mine gently, and he pulled me in a step, so we were all up in each other’s space. with his mouth at my ear, he whispered so softly I’d later think i imagined it. “whoever did that to your face doesn’t deserve to breathe.””
September 27, 2022
Trigger Warning
TW: rape, child abuse, physical abuse, mental abuse, cheating
The rape took me off guard but it’s always a possibility with dark romances sadly. Same with all the other trigger warnings. Thankfully it was NOT descriptive. The cheating scene got me more upset because it was pretty descriptive and I hate cheating in romance novels, thankfully it was just her asshole ex.
The smut was good but there wasn’t a lot of it and it was really only with one of the three guys. But there was a lot of sexual tension with the other two. Which usually when a RH is split into multiple books the smut starts off slow.
Storyline is good and the characters are good. I like how the FMC isn’t a tiny, thin, petite girl. She’s got curves and stretch marks. You don’t see that often in romance novels, the representation is nice.
TW: rape, child abuse, physical abuse, mental abuse, cheating
The rape took me off guard but it’s always a possibility with dark romances sadly. Same with all the other trigger warnings. Thankfully it was NOT descriptive. The cheating scene got me more upset because it was pretty descriptive and I hate cheating in romance novels, thankfully it was just her asshole ex.
The smut was good but there wasn’t a lot of it and it was really only with one of the three guys. But there was a lot of sexual tension with the other two. Which usually when a RH is split into multiple books the smut starts off slow.
Storyline is good and the characters are good. I like how the FMC isn’t a tiny, thin, petite girl. She’s got curves and stretch marks. You don’t see that often in romance novels, the representation is nice.
November 30, 2024
Wow!!! This book/trilogy is taking me on a RIDE. There is so much going on that it's hard to pin down a proper review/summary. UPDATE below on my feelings for the series.
Bliss Author (25, daycare worker) had a tragic beginning with a crack head mother. Her future was looking pretty dim until her half-brother, Axel (bar owner), and his BFF, Nash Sorensen (39, bar worker), came to rescue her (she was 5 at the time and the boys were 19). They took her to the other side of the tracks, where Bliss ultimately grew up.
Fast forward twenty years and now Bliss is engaged to a douche bag, Caleb. When tragedy strikes, Bliss is catapulted back into her old neighborhood. Lots of surprises and secrets are exposed and Bliss has a whole new list of characters in her life. Along with Nash, Rebel (potential new BFF, hilarious as hell), War (30-ish, MC prez, skilled with his tongue), and Vincent Atwood (age unknown, mafia-ish family, absolutely EVERYTHING) are all become key players in this fast-paced series. This ends on a cliffy and damn, hold onto your hats because it's about to take you places.
First - I'm really enjoying this so far and I definitely recommend it (keep in mind I haven't finished the trilogy, so I'll update this when I have). Here's how it's going:
Bliss: You know I'm very hard to please when it comes to FMCs. At first glance, I absolutely hated how weak Bliss seemed. When you consider how her life started, it did make a lot of sense why she was slow to act on things. As you get further into the book, she really comes out of her shell and starts to take control of her life and learns to fight back. I recommend just hanging on. Don't write her off just yet.
Sex: Well...... that's super slow paced in Book 1. It doesn't happen until the 86% mark and it was interrupted. The fact that I'm still willing to proceed with this book should tell you something. I do have high hopes the sex will increase in Book 2 (update - it doesn't increase. You just get more sexually frustrated).
Laughs: There are a surprising number of laughs in this book, which keeps it balanced.
Audio: I read this book until about the 80% mark and then realized my library had the audio!!! I finished it with the audio and started Book 2 with audio. I'm ok with either one, though the audio is so much funnier IMO.
Triggers: There's both physical and sexual violence against Bliss (not by any of the MMCs). There is a sex club in the book where everybody is sticking it in everybody else. Sex without condoms between the MCs (thank you Jesus), drug use, prostitution, murder, and probably a lot of other things I can't remember. Oh, there's also supposed to be some M/M action in the next book. Can't wait for that.
Animals: A dog is hurt, but doesn't die. There's also reference to dogs that were killed intentionally, and I'm not sure why the author felt the need to add that. You can make us hate a character without adding animals to the mix. There's nothing that goes into detail because you know that's a hard pass for me. If I can handle it, then you probably can too.
I can't wait to see where this trilogy takes us.
UPDATE: Well, I ended up not enjoying the series. The only thing I loved was War & Scythe (who you haven't met yet). The ending to one mystery was actually a surprise for me that I didn't see coming. But as far as these people - I never believe any of them are actually in love with each other.
"Hey, Bliss. Do you want some Goldfish crackers?"
Bliss Author (25, daycare worker) had a tragic beginning with a crack head mother. Her future was looking pretty dim until her half-brother, Axel (bar owner), and his BFF, Nash Sorensen (39, bar worker), came to rescue her (she was 5 at the time and the boys were 19). They took her to the other side of the tracks, where Bliss ultimately grew up.
Fast forward twenty years and now Bliss is engaged to a douche bag, Caleb. When tragedy strikes, Bliss is catapulted back into her old neighborhood. Lots of surprises and secrets are exposed and Bliss has a whole new list of characters in her life. Along with Nash, Rebel (potential new BFF, hilarious as hell), War (30-ish, MC prez, skilled with his tongue), and Vincent Atwood (age unknown, mafia-ish family, absolutely EVERYTHING) are all become key players in this fast-paced series. This ends on a cliffy and damn, hold onto your hats because it's about to take you places.
First - I'm really enjoying this so far and I definitely recommend it (keep in mind I haven't finished the trilogy, so I'll update this when I have). Here's how it's going:
Bliss: You know I'm very hard to please when it comes to FMCs. At first glance, I absolutely hated how weak Bliss seemed. When you consider how her life started, it did make a lot of sense why she was slow to act on things. As you get further into the book, she really comes out of her shell and starts to take control of her life and learns to fight back. I recommend just hanging on. Don't write her off just yet.
Sex: Well...... that's super slow paced in Book 1. It doesn't happen until the 86% mark and it was interrupted. The fact that I'm still willing to proceed with this book should tell you something. I do have high hopes the sex will increase in Book 2 (update - it doesn't increase. You just get more sexually frustrated).
Laughs: There are a surprising number of laughs in this book, which keeps it balanced.
Audio: I read this book until about the 80% mark and then realized my library had the audio!!! I finished it with the audio and started Book 2 with audio. I'm ok with either one, though the audio is so much funnier IMO.
Triggers: There's both physical and sexual violence against Bliss (not by any of the MMCs). There is a sex club in the book where everybody is sticking it in everybody else. Sex without condoms between the MCs (thank you Jesus), drug use, prostitution, murder, and probably a lot of other things I can't remember. Oh, there's also supposed to be some M/M action in the next book. Can't wait for that.
Animals: A dog is hurt, but doesn't die. There's also reference to dogs that were killed intentionally, and I'm not sure why the author felt the need to add that. You can make us hate a character without adding animals to the mix. There's nothing that goes into detail because you know that's a hard pass for me. If I can handle it, then you probably can too.
I can't wait to see where this trilogy takes us.
UPDATE: Well, I ended up not enjoying the series. The only thing I loved was War & Scythe (who you haven't met yet). The ending to one mystery was actually a surprise for me that I didn't see coming. But as far as these people - I never believe any of them are actually in love with each other.
November 15, 2023
This was an intriguing start to this series I'm not quite sold on this yet but I'm invested enough to give book two a try and I'll decide from there. So this is a contemporary reverse harem and focuses on Bliss a young girl initially from the wrong side of town. After her older brother Axel and his best friend Nash arrange it so her dad takes custody of her Bliss's life changes beyond all recognition no longer is she dirty hungry and in constant danger now she resides in a mansion and moves in country club circles. Bliss or Bethany-Melissa as she goes by now works in childcare has a wealthy successful boyfriend Caleb who definitely doesn't treat her how she deserves but at least on the surface she's everything that is respectable.
When her brother who she hasn't seen in years is murdered Bliss finds herself pulled right back into the same murky world she once escaped from when she inherits his dive bar named Psychos. She also thankfully wises up and ditches her abusive ass fiance but not soon enough in my opinion as Caleb was the absolute worst.
Then into this mix, we are introduced to three men Nash who's older and her brother's best friend. War the VP to turned prez of a local MC gang and Vincent is a mysterious blunt male who seems equally as naive as he is worldly. Not gonna lie Vincent is definitely my favourite especially with his alter ego Scythe lurking under the skin just waiting to make an appearance and I think he was also the major reason i decided to continue on with this.
The writing here was good but as I mentioned earlier I'm still slightly on the fence regarding my first impressions of this. I did find Bliss at least at first initially quite annoying though she did improve as this played out. I just wasn't a fan of all of her self-flagellation finding it excessive and slightly martyrish and Bliss's backbone could have done with some bolstering as she allows others to walk all over her in fact her self-esteem was practically non-existent. I do get how this has happened as she gives others what they want to avoid any sort of rejection and also as a form of gratefulness to just tolerating her presence she accepts scraps but it was far from healthy behaviour and made her appear somewhat weak.
Do be aware this does have some triggers for SA and this concerns the boyfriend Caleb. Also, this one is spicy but it does take a while to build up there overall though this was ok and I will be picking up book 2 and then making a decision from there.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
September 2, 2024
Not my favourite read of the year, but an easy, quick, addictive one!! I wasn’t really that phased by anything happening or particularly attached to any characters at all, but it was an entertaining read.
December 9, 2025
Promising start
I've dropped all but one series this year and my expectations were pretty low.
But after finishing this, I'm cautiously optimistic.
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I've dropped all but one series this year and my expectations were pretty low.
But after finishing this, I'm cautiously optimistic.
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November 5, 2022
TW/CW:
I feel like most of these books deal with serious situations and this one tackles quite a few. Despite the title having one of the guys' names, I don't feel like he's the main focus of the book at all, even if the sex scenes involve him. We get more of him after the 50% mark but there's a lot more of the other guys in the story.
I feel like there were way to many plot points, making this confusing, coupled with several love interests. I was all here for there being a sex club, brownie points for that.
I feel like most of these books deal with serious situations and this one tackles quite a few. Despite the title having one of the guys' names, I don't feel like he's the main focus of the book at all, even if the sex scenes involve him. We get more of him after the 50% mark but there's a lot more of the other guys in the story.
I feel like there were way to many plot points, making this confusing, coupled with several love interests. I was all here for there being a sex club, brownie points for that.
March 8, 2024
This book had so much potential to be something good and instead the lack of character/relationship development made it a book not worth finishing. The characters were there and had a lot to become something but instead the story felt rushed and under developed.
Nash had a lot of potential as the brothers best friend trope. Instead of taking us on the journey of their relationship flourishing from protective to possessive. Nash sees bliss after years and suddenly she’s a women and he’s hard. - nothing there.
Vincent is this guy who ends up working at the same daycare as Bliss and is suddenly obsessed with her. He then later shows up at her house without knowing her address and she is okay with it. Then proceeds to let him in her bathroom while she takes a bath…… what? No one in their right mind would be okay with that. Especially not a girl who was so mistreated and abused as a child - I blame the lack of character development. Maybe if bliss had shown some growth from then to now but she didn’t.
Finally we have War aka the bad boy. Again she’s supposed to be this traumatized girl but she finds herself at his party taking shots and getting fucked there after only knowing the guy a day.
At no point in all of this has there been growth in Bliss except for the I don’t want to be a protected child anymore. She went from being malnourished child, seeing her mother raped by her stepdad, to being abused and raped by her fiancé to fucking strangers in a sex club with no growth.
The men in this story had so much potential yet they all lacked because they were pushed to simply being obsessed with a girl that apparently was ugly to the rest of the world. Keep in mind these are supposed to be tough guys who fuck girls left and right but fall for bliss when she enters a room…..
So much potential.
Nash had a lot of potential as the brothers best friend trope. Instead of taking us on the journey of their relationship flourishing from protective to possessive. Nash sees bliss after years and suddenly she’s a women and he’s hard. - nothing there.
Vincent is this guy who ends up working at the same daycare as Bliss and is suddenly obsessed with her. He then later shows up at her house without knowing her address and she is okay with it. Then proceeds to let him in her bathroom while she takes a bath…… what? No one in their right mind would be okay with that. Especially not a girl who was so mistreated and abused as a child - I blame the lack of character development. Maybe if bliss had shown some growth from then to now but she didn’t.
Finally we have War aka the bad boy. Again she’s supposed to be this traumatized girl but she finds herself at his party taking shots and getting fucked there after only knowing the guy a day.
At no point in all of this has there been growth in Bliss except for the I don’t want to be a protected child anymore. She went from being malnourished child, seeing her mother raped by her stepdad, to being abused and raped by her fiancé to fucking strangers in a sex club with no growth.
The men in this story had so much potential yet they all lacked because they were pushed to simply being obsessed with a girl that apparently was ugly to the rest of the world. Keep in mind these are supposed to be tough guys who fuck girls left and right but fall for bliss when she enters a room…..
So much potential.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2023
Well shite. This was really good. Didn't see that coming welp. Started off a bit slow and sluggish but ended with a bang ajsjsjjskdkd
January 10, 2025
this book was a nice change of pace, very gritty and engaging. I love a good SPICY why choose romance
The dirty talk and intimate moments had me kicking my feet🤭
All the MMCs had such different personalities which made it easy to remember them. Also the FMC was curvy which I loved!
It left off on a cliffhanger so I’m excited to read the next book. I listened to the audiobook and the narration was great (also a plus for it being a duet narration too)💕
The dirty talk and intimate moments had me kicking my feet🤭
All the MMCs had such different personalities which made it easy to remember them. Also the FMC was curvy which I loved!
It left off on a cliffhanger so I’m excited to read the next book. I listened to the audiobook and the narration was great (also a plus for it being a duet narration too)💕
June 28, 2022
I remember when the Saint View Prison series ended, Elle Thorpe asked her Facebook group which guy characters they liked the most. A large number of us responded not with any of the series’ main characters, but with a supporting role: the unusual and definitely psychopathic hitman, Vincent. I mean doesn’t everybody love your friendly neighbourhood psycho?
When I realised that Vincent was co-starring, it was only natural that I’d be itching to get my hands on Elle’s newest trilogy, the Saint View Psychos. This time around, the owner of the deliciously hot harem is Bliss. Her life started out in Saint View where she experienced a childhood of neglect at the hands of her prostitute mother and abusive pimp stepfather. Until her brother and his best friend Nash got her out and took her to live with her father on the good side of town. Fast forward the best part of 20 years and Bliss is almost engaged to a wealthy man and preparing for life as a trophy wife. Not exactly the recipe for the harem of her dreams.
When her brother is murdered and Bliss inherits his bar (and its extra-curricular interests) she’s thrown back into Saint View and face to face with Nash. Of course, sparks will fly, and it’s pretty much a powder keg when you introduce overly protective and loveable Vincent, and sinfully steaming hot War into the mix. This all happens while she’s trying to keep the bar and her Saint View life hidden from her rich family, ditch her absolutely vile fiancé, find out who killed her brother and so many other dramas that she’s managed to attract in her life. And there are a lot of dramas.
Aside from the brilliant storylines and thigh-squeezingly delicious smut, the character development within the book was incredible. When we’re first introduced to 25-year-old Bliss, she is not the sort of person you’d want to read a book about. She’s naive, inexperienced, wishy-washy, and has nothing even remotely resembling a backbone. It’s fair to say that there’s very little that’s endearing about her. While she slides back into Saint View’s ways pretty quickly, she has a lot of growing up to do in not much time. It was thoroughly enjoyable to watch her find herself, realising where her strengths and capabilities lie and juggling her potential love interests while still staying true to herself and her needs. For those of you in need of a story with a dose of body positivity, you’ll find it in Start A War. Bliss is a curvy girl who needs to learn to love herself and her harem is going to help her do just that.
If you’ve read the Saint View Prison series you’ll already know that Vincent is not your average hitman. I had no idea how much depth there would be to his character. He’s got a complicated relationship with his parents, especially now that he wants out of the family business. He struggles with how much of his personal life he can tell Bliss about, including the truth about his previous career, his stint in prison, and his mental health. There are some incredibly sweet moments between him and Bliss, including their first date and his first kiss.
You’re going to love this book and completely devour it. You’re also going to curse Thorpe and probably indulge in a little screaming, shouting and Kindle throwing as well. In true Thorpe style, the book ends with an epic cliffhanger that you’ll never see coming and leaves you teetering on the edge of being broken, but you won’t regret a minute of reading it.
When I realised that Vincent was co-starring, it was only natural that I’d be itching to get my hands on Elle’s newest trilogy, the Saint View Psychos. This time around, the owner of the deliciously hot harem is Bliss. Her life started out in Saint View where she experienced a childhood of neglect at the hands of her prostitute mother and abusive pimp stepfather. Until her brother and his best friend Nash got her out and took her to live with her father on the good side of town. Fast forward the best part of 20 years and Bliss is almost engaged to a wealthy man and preparing for life as a trophy wife. Not exactly the recipe for the harem of her dreams.
When her brother is murdered and Bliss inherits his bar (and its extra-curricular interests) she’s thrown back into Saint View and face to face with Nash. Of course, sparks will fly, and it’s pretty much a powder keg when you introduce overly protective and loveable Vincent, and sinfully steaming hot War into the mix. This all happens while she’s trying to keep the bar and her Saint View life hidden from her rich family, ditch her absolutely vile fiancé, find out who killed her brother and so many other dramas that she’s managed to attract in her life. And there are a lot of dramas.
Aside from the brilliant storylines and thigh-squeezingly delicious smut, the character development within the book was incredible. When we’re first introduced to 25-year-old Bliss, she is not the sort of person you’d want to read a book about. She’s naive, inexperienced, wishy-washy, and has nothing even remotely resembling a backbone. It’s fair to say that there’s very little that’s endearing about her. While she slides back into Saint View’s ways pretty quickly, she has a lot of growing up to do in not much time. It was thoroughly enjoyable to watch her find herself, realising where her strengths and capabilities lie and juggling her potential love interests while still staying true to herself and her needs. For those of you in need of a story with a dose of body positivity, you’ll find it in Start A War. Bliss is a curvy girl who needs to learn to love herself and her harem is going to help her do just that.
If you’ve read the Saint View Prison series you’ll already know that Vincent is not your average hitman. I had no idea how much depth there would be to his character. He’s got a complicated relationship with his parents, especially now that he wants out of the family business. He struggles with how much of his personal life he can tell Bliss about, including the truth about his previous career, his stint in prison, and his mental health. There are some incredibly sweet moments between him and Bliss, including their first date and his first kiss.
You’re going to love this book and completely devour it. You’re also going to curse Thorpe and probably indulge in a little screaming, shouting and Kindle throwing as well. In true Thorpe style, the book ends with an epic cliffhanger that you’ll never see coming and leaves you teetering on the edge of being broken, but you won’t regret a minute of reading it.
August 23, 2022
4.7 stars.
Damn.
I am really liking these characters.
I’m really hoping someone works with Bliss on her trauma and insecurities sometime, though.
That ending…fuck. That ending was all kinds of fucked…
I can’t wait to see what happens. It’s gonna be gorey I just know it.
I can’t believe that this is going the way it is. I had no idea when I went in what the plot would be like, but a bar and illegal club..? So fuckin cool.
I love how all of her guys are there now and I love that she’s trying to embrace things and make them better for everyone.
I can’t wait to see how this plays out…I have a sneaking suspicion someone we know did some bad things that are gonna blow back on everyone.
I’m gonna go read something else, even though I really just wanna read the second book, because the last book isn’t out yet and I don’t want to have to wait so long between books to resolve the cliffhanger that I’m certain awaits me in the second book.
PS-I should probably mention that Trigger Warnings need to be checked. There’s some abuse, (attempted and unfortunately successful) sexual and physical and emotional, that happens on page and is remembered. Nothing from the MMCs, but basically everyone else around her are complete assholes…
Damn.
I am really liking these characters.
I’m really hoping someone works with Bliss on her trauma and insecurities sometime, though.
That ending…fuck. That ending was all kinds of fucked…
I can’t wait to see what happens. It’s gonna be gorey I just know it.
I can’t believe that this is going the way it is. I had no idea when I went in what the plot would be like, but a bar and illegal club..? So fuckin cool.
I love how all of her guys are there now and I love that she’s trying to embrace things and make them better for everyone.
I can’t wait to see how this plays out…I have a sneaking suspicion someone we know did some bad things that are gonna blow back on everyone.
I’m gonna go read something else, even though I really just wanna read the second book, because the last book isn’t out yet and I don’t want to have to wait so long between books to resolve the cliffhanger that I’m certain awaits me in the second book.
PS-I should probably mention that Trigger Warnings need to be checked. There’s some abuse, (attempted and unfortunately successful) sexual and physical and emotional, that happens on page and is remembered. Nothing from the MMCs, but basically everyone else around her are complete assholes…
October 2, 2023
My October starting off with a bang. This seems to be a good why choose series that has all sorts of stuff going on: sex club, MC Club, mix of sweet/crazy guys. Bliss is a cute FMC too, so I am enjoying this series so far.
So once I started this one, I saw that the author has separate series in this universe that came before this set. Looks like they are also why choose. I can tell for sure that Vincent is from another series, and that has me sold, because who doesn't love a sweet, yet psychotic killer.
On to the next book.
So once I started this one, I saw that the author has separate series in this universe that came before this set. Looks like they are also why choose. I can tell for sure that Vincent is from another series, and that has me sold, because who doesn't love a sweet, yet psychotic killer.
On to the next book.
September 9, 2022
Oh damn this is MESSYYYYYY. Never a dull moment with scythe around lol
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Omg yess, after the riot in Saint View Prison I was thinking I hope we got to see more of Vincent!
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Omg yess, after the riot in Saint View Prison I was thinking I hope we got to see more of Vincent!
March 23, 2024
3.5 stars? It honestly could have been a four star review if I hadn't been so annoyed by Bliss.
Don't read on unless you really want to hear me complain for five paragraphs. Sorry not sorry.
First, I listened to the audio and that can really affect how you like/interpret a book. So maybe if I'd read Bliss in my own way I would have made her less annoying in my head. It wasn't the narrator's fault. She did great. It's also a duet narration which I love. But Bliss was just a naïve, ignorant, pushover. I'm sure she's going to grow a pair over the course of the next two books but I hate a weak MFC. I like strong and sassy. She was a bit all over the place. Overly innocent and a doormat one second then trying to stand up to and fight Nash the other second (for no good reason honestly) or having unprotected sex with a biker in the next minute even after her ex fiancé has been fucking around on her without a condom with god knows how many people. Maybe STD's don't exist in this world. Yay. 🙄 Look, I love a reckless sex scene but this was annoyingly oblivious from all characters involved. No condoms? Ever? With anyone? Ooookay then pregnancy trope I see you coming from a mile away. But I guess the STD trope would just be too icky for this world? We'll just pretend it doesn't exist. 😒
Storyline- murder mystery, motorcycle club, sex club, gangs. Reverse harems. Everyone in this town is reverse harems I think (oh hi there Shadow Grove).
Things that were annoyingly shoved down my throat:
◾ She's short at 5'5 (her words, not mine). I don't know why the "oh shes so short!" mfc bothers me so much? Maybe because I barely top 5'1 and you don't see me going around going omg I'm so short! Like, wtf. I hate that weird obsession some author's have with the height of their mfc.
◾ She smells like honeysuckle. OMG with the unique scents. I know why they have each character smell different with these weird scents. I understand why the author does and what they are trying to do. I just hate it. Especially when the characters scents somehow define them as a person. I'm not sure that it's mentioned enough to make a drinking game, but it's definitely mentioned enough that it annoyed me because it's a weird gimmick I don't like in writing.
◾ She's a pansy ass beach.
◾ Omg she goes on and on about how "fat" she is. Like, yay for chubby chic representation because some people love a handful to hold onto. And we don't all need to be the same size. It's about health not size. Body positivity for the win. But she just goes on and on about her insecurities. I just couldn't. It's not my cup of tea. If you really want an insecure "fat" (her word) character then this is your girl.
Beef:
◾ Her transition from pushover to assertive was just weird to me. It didn't work. And I'm not expecting her to be assertive and super confident in the next book either unless she gets a personality transplant. It felt more like a "fake it till you make it" sort of mentality. It just flowed weird to me.
◾ She felt like how a caricature of a "poor little fat girl with insecurities" would be. Like sometimes you feel like the author is writing about something she knows nothing about right? And she just finds an outline online of how that character would be portrayed. It's a caricature. It doesn't feel like a real person would. It felt like bad writing. It took me out of the story so I really disliked it. 🤷🏻♀️
◾ Bliss is kind of an idiot despite being all like "I don't want to be the basic white bitch in the horror movie who dies first!" Newsflash. You are. You're only alive because three capable men are obsessed with you.
◾ Bliss's world/story feels like a rip off of Tate James Shadow Grove world, especially the Madison Kate series, except I like Tate James more. And Madison Kate never felt like a pansy ass bitch.
What I liked:
◾ VINCENT IS MY SWEET BABY LAMB AND I'LL NEVER NOT LOVE HIM.
◾ Vincent is life. I'm only continuing this series because of Vincent. Gimme a psychopath/sociopath MC in romance any day.
◾ The world building. It does pull you in. Despite not liking Bliss I like the world the author created. Props to her. I like Vincent enough that I now want to rush out and listen to the next one. But I can't ::pout:: because I have other books due back soon that I gotta knock out.
◾ Sex positivity.
◾ No fear of dark themes like rape, physical abuse, abuse of a child. Kudos to you lady. I don't see full out rape written very often and I feel like I've consumed a lot of dark romance/paranormal romance, though I mostly read mm now. I know the rape scenes are out there. I just haven't read many I guess. So still, kudos to her.
◾ All hail Vincent/Scythe. I can't wait to meet Scythe in the next book. Vincent will always be my baby but I'm excited to see his dissociative identity disorder twin in the next book. I also don't think I've read a book with D.I.D. in it either, so kudos to her for that as well!
Don't read on unless you really want to hear me complain for five paragraphs. Sorry not sorry.
First, I listened to the audio and that can really affect how you like/interpret a book. So maybe if I'd read Bliss in my own way I would have made her less annoying in my head. It wasn't the narrator's fault. She did great. It's also a duet narration which I love. But Bliss was just a naïve, ignorant, pushover. I'm sure she's going to grow a pair over the course of the next two books but I hate a weak MFC. I like strong and sassy. She was a bit all over the place. Overly innocent and a doormat one second then trying to stand up to and fight Nash the other second (for no good reason honestly) or having unprotected sex with a biker in the next minute even after her ex fiancé has been fucking around on her without a condom with god knows how many people. Maybe STD's don't exist in this world. Yay. 🙄 Look, I love a reckless sex scene but this was annoyingly oblivious from all characters involved. No condoms? Ever? With anyone? Ooookay then pregnancy trope I see you coming from a mile away. But I guess the STD trope would just be too icky for this world? We'll just pretend it doesn't exist. 😒
Storyline- murder mystery, motorcycle club, sex club, gangs. Reverse harems. Everyone in this town is reverse harems I think (oh hi there Shadow Grove).
Things that were annoyingly shoved down my throat:
◾ She's short at 5'5 (her words, not mine). I don't know why the "oh shes so short!" mfc bothers me so much? Maybe because I barely top 5'1 and you don't see me going around going omg I'm so short! Like, wtf. I hate that weird obsession some author's have with the height of their mfc.
◾ She smells like honeysuckle. OMG with the unique scents. I know why they have each character smell different with these weird scents. I understand why the author does and what they are trying to do. I just hate it. Especially when the characters scents somehow define them as a person. I'm not sure that it's mentioned enough to make a drinking game, but it's definitely mentioned enough that it annoyed me because it's a weird gimmick I don't like in writing.
◾ She's a pansy ass beach.
◾ Omg she goes on and on about how "fat" she is. Like, yay for chubby chic representation because some people love a handful to hold onto. And we don't all need to be the same size. It's about health not size. Body positivity for the win. But she just goes on and on about her insecurities. I just couldn't. It's not my cup of tea. If you really want an insecure "fat" (her word) character then this is your girl.
Beef:
◾ Her transition from pushover to assertive was just weird to me. It didn't work. And I'm not expecting her to be assertive and super confident in the next book either unless she gets a personality transplant. It felt more like a "fake it till you make it" sort of mentality. It just flowed weird to me.
◾ She felt like how a caricature of a "poor little fat girl with insecurities" would be. Like sometimes you feel like the author is writing about something she knows nothing about right? And she just finds an outline online of how that character would be portrayed. It's a caricature. It doesn't feel like a real person would. It felt like bad writing. It took me out of the story so I really disliked it. 🤷🏻♀️
◾ Bliss is kind of an idiot despite being all like "I don't want to be the basic white bitch in the horror movie who dies first!" Newsflash. You are. You're only alive because three capable men are obsessed with you.
◾ Bliss's world/story feels like a rip off of Tate James Shadow Grove world, especially the Madison Kate series, except I like Tate James more. And Madison Kate never felt like a pansy ass bitch.
What I liked:
◾ VINCENT IS MY SWEET BABY LAMB AND I'LL NEVER NOT LOVE HIM.
◾ Vincent is life. I'm only continuing this series because of Vincent. Gimme a psychopath/sociopath MC in romance any day.
◾ The world building. It does pull you in. Despite not liking Bliss I like the world the author created. Props to her. I like Vincent enough that I now want to rush out and listen to the next one. But I can't ::pout:: because I have other books due back soon that I gotta knock out.
◾ Sex positivity.
◾ No fear of dark themes like rape, physical abuse, abuse of a child. Kudos to you lady. I don't see full out rape written very often and I feel like I've consumed a lot of dark romance/paranormal romance, though I mostly read mm now. I know the rape scenes are out there. I just haven't read many I guess. So still, kudos to her.
◾ All hail Vincent/Scythe. I can't wait to meet Scythe in the next book. Vincent will always be my baby but I'm excited to see his dissociative identity disorder twin in the next book. I also don't think I've read a book with D.I.D. in it either, so kudos to her for that as well!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2023
DNF- hated how she let this SKUMMMM OF A MAN treat her in the beginning…. LIKE STAND UP GIRL!!
February 13, 2024
For all the women who like their fictional men dark, sexy, and stabby. This one is for you.
⭐️⭐️⭐️. 5 stars?
We meet our FMC, Bethany-Melissa aka Bliss, when she receives a phone call from her brother, Axel, who she hasn’t heard from in a long time since he helped her get away from their toxic home life. In this phone call, he says their code phrase which means “you’re in danger, hide” and then she hears a gunshot. This leads her back to Saint View, a place she hasn’t been to in years to investigate what happened to her brother and there she reconnects with her brother’s best friend, Nash, who always made her feel safe as a kid and helped her brother get away. Not only does she reconnect with Nash, but she finds out she inherits her brother’s bar and the crazy guy her brother owes a debt to.
Now about the MMC’s, I love ALL OF THEM. First, there’s Nash, her brother’s best friend who is 14 years older 🤭. And despite the fact, they haven’t seen each other in 20 years, she knows she will always be safe with him. Now, this man doesn’t want to cross the boundary of best friend’s little sister, but he can’t help his attraction to her, but still he doesn’t cross the line. He just makes it his mission to continue to make her feel safe and welcomed. Like he makes her an office in the bar because he knew it was something she wanted but never asked for 🥹. Next, there’s Vincent 🤭. If you don’t know, we meet Vincent in another series by Elle Thorpe, Saint View Prison. Although here, we meet him when he interviews at Bliss’ work, a daycare center and we get to see how sweet, kind, and proper he is. I swear I’m in love with him. Since I was always intrigued by Vincent in Saint View Prison, I’m so glad we got to learn more about him in this book. Like we learn that his dark side is due to the fact that he has dissociative identity disorder whose other personality is Scythe. And I am so interested in learning more about Scythe and how he and Vincent will co-exist. Now , the final man is War. War is part of a motorcycle club, Saint View Slayers and apparently knew her brother and hung around in the same circles. Now this man is VERY forward, and makes his interest in Bliss very well known. They have some very nice spicy times which you should DEFINITELY experience.
And then that plot twist??? I cannot wait to see what happens. Once again, Elle Thorpe has pulled me in with her crazy plots and I love it 👏👏.
Favorite quotes/scenes:
“Vincent, for goodness’ sake. Put some clothing on. Of all the things for a mother to have to have to see first thing in the morning, your penis is not one of them.”
“Perhaps if you didn’t barge into my house like you own it—”
“I do own it.”
“Reasonable argument.”
“When I get off your hand, you’re going to take your cheap ring, get in your car, and then forget that Bliss ever existed. You say her name, I will end you. You think her name, I will hunt you down and put a bullet through your skull. You so much as accidentally drive past her on the street, and I will chase you down, gut you, and feed your intestines to my dog.” (Vincent 🤭)
“Her laughter was so sweet. I liked it. I wanted her to laugh all the time, because it felt like it wormed its way inside me and chased away some of the darkness.” (Vincent)
“I dismissed myself from jail. Without permission.” (Vincent)
“You escaped? How is that even possible?” (Bliss)
“Is it supposed to be hard?” (Vincent 🤣)
⭐️⭐️⭐️. 5 stars?
We meet our FMC, Bethany-Melissa aka Bliss, when she receives a phone call from her brother, Axel, who she hasn’t heard from in a long time since he helped her get away from their toxic home life. In this phone call, he says their code phrase which means “you’re in danger, hide” and then she hears a gunshot. This leads her back to Saint View, a place she hasn’t been to in years to investigate what happened to her brother and there she reconnects with her brother’s best friend, Nash, who always made her feel safe as a kid and helped her brother get away. Not only does she reconnect with Nash, but she finds out she inherits her brother’s bar and the crazy guy her brother owes a debt to.
Now about the MMC’s, I love ALL OF THEM. First, there’s Nash, her brother’s best friend who is 14 years older 🤭. And despite the fact, they haven’t seen each other in 20 years, she knows she will always be safe with him. Now, this man doesn’t want to cross the boundary of best friend’s little sister, but he can’t help his attraction to her, but still he doesn’t cross the line. He just makes it his mission to continue to make her feel safe and welcomed. Like he makes her an office in the bar because he knew it was something she wanted but never asked for 🥹. Next, there’s Vincent 🤭. If you don’t know, we meet Vincent in another series by Elle Thorpe, Saint View Prison. Although here, we meet him when he interviews at Bliss’ work, a daycare center and we get to see how sweet, kind, and proper he is. I swear I’m in love with him. Since I was always intrigued by Vincent in Saint View Prison, I’m so glad we got to learn more about him in this book. Like we learn that his dark side is due to the fact that he has dissociative identity disorder whose other personality is Scythe. And I am so interested in learning more about Scythe and how he and Vincent will co-exist. Now , the final man is War. War is part of a motorcycle club, Saint View Slayers and apparently knew her brother and hung around in the same circles. Now this man is VERY forward, and makes his interest in Bliss very well known. They have some very nice spicy times which you should DEFINITELY experience.
And then that plot twist??? I cannot wait to see what happens. Once again, Elle Thorpe has pulled me in with her crazy plots and I love it 👏👏.
Favorite quotes/scenes:
“Vincent, for goodness’ sake. Put some clothing on. Of all the things for a mother to have to have to see first thing in the morning, your penis is not one of them.”
“Perhaps if you didn’t barge into my house like you own it—”
“I do own it.”
“Reasonable argument.”
“When I get off your hand, you’re going to take your cheap ring, get in your car, and then forget that Bliss ever existed. You say her name, I will end you. You think her name, I will hunt you down and put a bullet through your skull. You so much as accidentally drive past her on the street, and I will chase you down, gut you, and feed your intestines to my dog.” (Vincent 🤭)
“Her laughter was so sweet. I liked it. I wanted her to laugh all the time, because it felt like it wormed its way inside me and chased away some of the darkness.” (Vincent)
“I dismissed myself from jail. Without permission.” (Vincent)
“You escaped? How is that even possible?” (Bliss)
“Is it supposed to be hard?” (Vincent 🤣)
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